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Why does Jesus always refer to himself as the Son of Man, rather
than the Son of God?
by Elizabeth Solsburg
This year, the St. Augustine Catholic is exploring
Christology - the study of Jesus Christ. We asked several eminent
seminary professors some questions about Jesus. Their answers are
enlightening and thought-provoking.
SAC: Why does Jesus always refer to himself as the Son of man,
rather than the Son of God? What does that mean?
Father Stevens: Jesus identifies himself as the son of man
rather than the son of God. The concept of the son of God is not
uniquely Jewish - it also reflects Oriental kingship and emperor
worship. Why didn’t Jesus then identify himself as the Messiah, as
understood by the Jews? He was reluctant to adopt this due to its
connotations of earthly glory and power. The concept of the son of
God is a way of speaking of David, and Jesus does align himself with
that occasionally. He clearly does believe himself to be the
Messiah.
The Son of Man is based on the mysterious figure from the Book of
Daniel. Somehow, this figure’s purpose is not to establish earthly
rule, but to mediate. Jesus, the son of man and Son of God, bridges
the gap between the world of God and the world of humanity.
Father Acklin: The term “Son of God” could be used for
angels, saints, holy persons and prophets. In Jewish understanding,
it did not mean what we now understand it to mean. It is rather a
lot like our word “mankind,” meaning all of humanity. The Son of Man
is the name used in Ezekiel by God when he is addressing the prophet
- thereby addressing all human beings. The other meaning is found in
the prophet Daniel, referring to the whole nation of Israel. The Son
of Man comes as the whole nation rising up to heaven, just like the
dry bones in Ezekiel. Jesus speaks of himself in the third person as
the Son of Man to say “I.” He sometimes silences those who call him
by “Messiah” and “Son of God,” preferring to call himself the son of
man as suffering servant, whose suffering is for all people.
Father
Muller: The term, “Son of Man,” is generally considered to be an
allusion to Daniel, chapter 7. In that book, it appears to have the
sense of Israel corporately being given dominion and authority. But
from that time to the time of Jesus, the understanding of the term
changed to apply to the personified nature of a messianic and
eschatological figure. It is in this context that Jesus applies that
term to himself. A number of Scripture scholars would have seen
nothing more than the kind of reference that you would get in
Ezekiel, where the prophet himself is referred to as the son of man.
Jesus clearly intends more by this term than human descent. He
attaches eschatological significance to the term.
The clearest examples of Jesus as the son of God are in John’s
Gospel, where he talks explicitly about his relationship to the
Father. Even in the synoptics, he distinguishes himself from the
rest of us when he says things like, “your father and my father.” In
a variety of oblique ways, Jesus makes the claim of being the son of
God.
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theologian of the month |
Augustine
of Hippo (354-430)
Aurelius Augustinius was one of the pre-eminent theologians in
the development of the Western church.
His teachings on salvation and grace were cited by many
Protestant reformers as they developed their systems of thought.
He was born in North Africa to St. Monica, a Catholic and
Patricius, a pagan.
Augustine himself was a Manichaean and devoted to pleasure; he
had a 15-year illicit affair with a young woman who bore him a
son. His famous prayer was “Lord, grant me chastity and
continence, but not yet.”
In 386, Augustine had a profound personal conversion experience,
and completely changed his life. He studied Platonic thought,
which continued to influence him in many ways, created a
monastic foundation and was ordained. Eventually, he was made
bishop of Hippo.
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what does that symbol mean? |
JINRI
and IHS
These letters are often seen as representative of Christ. IHS
stands for the first three letters of the name of Jesus in
Greek. INRI are the first letters of the Latin inscription that
was ordered placed on the cross by Pilate - “Jesus Christ, King
of the Jews.”
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Heresy! |
Jesus as two persons? The heresy of
Nestorianism
Mary - mother of God? Nestorianists believed that Jesus was
two persons: human and divine. With this teaching, we run into a
problem with the crucifixion - who died on the cross? The heresy
takes its name from Nestorius, a monk who became the patriarch
of Constantinople and who denied the doctrine of theotokos -
that Mary was the mother of God. In 431, the Council of Ephesus
denounced this position and declared that Jesus had two distinct
natures, human and divine, fully and inseparably present in one
person. Nestorius was removed from his position as patriarch and
exiled.
Nestorianism itself survived for several hundred more years.
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